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Dear John,
First things first, we’re hiring! Our office is looking for a new part-time team member to assist with outreach in the Kensington community. This position will be 20-25 hours a week primarily working on outreach and constituent services. The ideal candidate will speak Bangla with a passion for organizing and a flexible schedule! Read more about the job and if you, or someone you know, is a good fit please apply today.
The Extraordinary Session
In the wake of the Supreme Court’s disastrous decision both to end the federal protections for abortion and remove sensible restrictions on gun ownership, the state legislature reconvened to take decisive action. State politics can be shrouded in secrecy so today we’ll break down what happened and the implications for everyday New Yorkers.
- What’s an extraordinary session?
- Nearly every state legislator across the country is part-time. They spend half (some spend less) the year legislating in the capital and the other half in their districts. Albany broke for recess back in June but the Governor has the authority to recall the legislature to pass additional pieces of legislation if she so chooses. This was also done last summer to extend the eviction moratorium.
- What was passed?
- During this session, two pieces of legislation were passed. The first was an expansive bill strengthening gun control in the wake of NYSRPA v Bruen. The new legislation has made it illegal to carry a concealed weapon in a host of public spaces as well as illegal to carry a concealed weapon into a private business unless the business owner expressly allows so.
- On the abortion front, the Equal Rights Amendment, an amendment to the state constitution that enshrines both the right to reproductive care and trans-affirming healthcare in the state constitution, passed the Assembly and Senate. However, this is just the first in a three-step process to becoming law.
- What does this mean?
- For gun control, these new regulations will take effect September 1st, 2022, and will likely be the first of many new laws from Albany tackling gun control. Not only is there more regulation we can pass to tackle gun violence, but this Supreme Court seems hell-bent on upending any state law designed to reign in gun ownership. In response, our state is likely to take more action as the Supreme Court attempts to continually undo our state’s progress.
- On abortion, an amendment to the state constitution must be ratified by voters but it also first must pass the state legislature for two consecutive terms. While Roe v Wade is already codified into state law, we will need Albany to pass the Equal Rights Amendment again next term before we can approve it on the ballot in the fall of 2023
School Funding Fight
On the school funding side, my team and I have been meeting with educators, parents, and principals to discuss how we can work together to reverse these damaging cuts and prepare for the budget fights ahead. Some of these conversations have been difficult, but I am deeply appreciative of the honesty and candor so many of you have brought. This has been a learning and growing experience for me and I am grateful to represent a community that is willing to be honest with their Council Member. On a related note, together with City and state elected officials that represent school District 15, I released a public letter to Chancellor Banks demanding he reverse his decision not to reappoint Anita Skop as Superintendent for District 15. At the beginning of the year, every Superintendent was forced to reapply for their jobs and while the School Chancellor and Mayor lead this process with the mission of ensuring each community was being led by the best person for the job, the decision not to reappoint Anita was marred by secrecy and disregard for community voices. Anita is a beloved and trusted member of our school community and the decision to not reappoint her, in the face of an outpouring of public support, is deeply troubling.
COVID-19
As many of you probably know, the City’s positivity rate has spiked this week. With the increased spread of the BA.5 subvarient, there is concern that COVID-19 rates are increasing but there’s some necessary context. A large number of private testing sites have closed their doors as federal funding has run out and the City is closing brick-and-mortar testing sites as it switches to an expanded at-home and mobile testing strategy. In addition, with the end of the school year, schools are no longer carrying out their regular testing. All of this is to say that overall, there are fewer tests being conducted in the City and with the wide availability of at-home testing kits (we have plenty readily available to distribute at our district office if you need one), it’s safe to say the majority of people seeking PCR tests are likely positive cases already. Now, this isn’t to say we shouldn't be vigilant, continue to get tested, and get your booster if you haven't already, but this is some necessary context that should help explain that while rates have only slightly increased, the positivity rate has nearly doubled.
I want to also note that we have heard from dozens of residents about the closure of the Fort Hamilton testing site. We know for many in our community, this site has been essential to staying safe and healthy during this pandemic. We are following up with Health & Hospitals this week to see what we can do to keep the doors at 4002 Fort Hamilton Parkway open.
Community Bulletin
- Pandemic-era Alternate Side Parking (ASP) is over! Streets with twice-weekly street cleanings are back to their normal schedule as of July 5th so if you have a vehicle parked on the street, be sure to move it on both days.
- There will be no parking restrictions July 5th through September 5 on 6th Avenue from Lincoln Place to President Street due to infrastructure upgrades. For any questions or concerns, you can reach out to the Community Construction Liaison at 347-889-5271 from 7 AM to 3:30 PM, or via email at: [email protected].
- Pride never stops and neither does Drag Story Hour! We are thrilled to be partnering with talented drag performers to bring our community a variety of events, including virtual or in-person makeup tutorials! All of the events are free to the public and three are specifically designed for neurodiverse children and their families:
- Saturday, July 16, 2:30 PM: Drag Makeup Tutorial, Brooklyn Heights Library
- Saturday, July 23, 11 AM: Drag Story Hour for Neurodiverse Kids with Professor Lionel Longlegs, Andrew Heiskell Library
- Saturday, July 30, 11 AM: Drag Story Hour for Neurodiverse Kids with Harmonica Sunbeam, Andrew Heiskell Library
- Saturday, July 30, 11 AM and 1 PM: Drag Story Hour in Spanish and English, Sugar Hill Children's Museum
- Learn more about housing! We’re thrilled to be partnering with the Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) and Heights and Hills older adult club to present our Housing Resource Fair! There will be a variety of information given on issues like rent protection, the ‘Housing Connect’ process, and housing discrimination protection. The fair will run on July 14 from 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM at the Park Slope Center for Successful Aging at 463A 7th Street.
- The Brooklyn Arts Council is hosting events throughout July including a wellness festival, sonic clinic pop-up exhibition, performances, and artistic opportunities. Find more information on their website.
- Please note that the Civilian Complaint Review Board will be having their next public board meeting this Wednesday, July 13th at 4:00 PM in person and virtually to discuss their proposed rule changes. To attend in person, the address is 100 Church Street on the 2nd floor, or show up virtually by registering ahead of time.
Eid Mubarak,
Shahana
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